Leaving Life Behind
by 123HSMluver
Summary: Troy knows he loves Gabriella, but is his career what's best for her? Or is she better off with someone else?
1. Exciting News

"Troy get the phone!" Gabriella called from living room, where she sat holding a pile of laundry. She heard Troy groan and smiled to herself as he hurried to find the phone. All was quiet for a few seconds and she could hear Troy speaking softly so she knew that he had answered the phone. She heard the beep as the phone was hung up and then started as he cried,

"YES!" Gabriella looked up from the t-shirt she was holding as Troy came bounding into the living room, beaming. She opened her mouth to ask was happened but before she could get a word out Troy grabbed the clothes from her lap and set them beside her before taking her hand and pulling her around the room in a dance. Gabriella laughed as he whirled her around the room and knew that something good must have happened or else he wouldn't be acting this way.

"Troy, what's going on?" she asked as he stopped moving and looked at her. He smiled at her.

"I just got a call from my dad and he got a call from the NBA a couple of days ago and they told my dad that they had an open spot on the (team name) and wanted me to fill it!" he said, his words rushed. It took a couple of minutes for the words to sink in and when they did her eyes went wide and she let out a quiet squeal.

"Oh my goodness Troy!" she screamed and then hugged him tightly. "Congradulations!" he laughed at her reaction and then picked her up and spun her around a couple of times. She giggled and then thought of something. "You told your dad that you were interested right?" he sighed and set her down on the floor again.

"No I said I wanted to talk to you about it before I made any deals." He answered. Gabriella sighed and smiled.

"Troy! You know I support you in everything you do and I know you love basketball. Go for it! You didn't need to wait for my answer; it's your career!" Troy leaned his forhead against hers and sighed.

"But Gabi, I want us to make all of the decisions together. I want you to be happy with my choice too."

"If you're happy then I'm happy." She reminded him. Troy bit his lip and was quiet for a minute.

"I guess I'll tell my dad yes then." He said softly. Gabriella grinned and hugged him again. He laughed and spun her around again. "You're the greatest!"

"I know." Gabriella teased and then giggled as he made a face at her.

"Cmon, let's go call my dad back and tell him." Troy said and dragged her to the kitchen where he had left the phone. He dialed the number quickly and then told his dad the answer. Gabriella smiled as she listened to their idle chatter and rested her head on Troy's shoulder. He stroked her hair fondly and held her close. After Troy had hung up from his father he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the couch and sat down, with her on his lap.

"Are you excited?" Gabriella asked, although she already knew the answer. Troy beamed and stuck his tongue out at her.

"What do you think?" he retorted before planting a kiss in her hair. She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Right, stupid question." She answered. She picked up the discarded t-shirt and then began to fold it again. Troy snatched it from her hands and tapped the tip of her nose with his finger.

"No more laundry for you." He crooned in such a funny voice that she burst out laughing. He seemed confused for a minute and then shrugged, joining in on her laughter. "You get amused to easily my dear." He informed her which only caused her to laugh harder. He sighed and held her close until she was able to control her laughing. She bit back another laugh and then smiled at him as he rolled his eyes at her laughing fit. "This reminds me of the time that we went to that amusment park and went in the bouncy castle." He said his eyes twinkling. "Remember that?" Gabriella gasped and nodded.

Flashback

_Gabriella's eyes shone as she skipped to the next attraction with Troy behind her smiling at her excitement. He looked over his girlfriends' shoulder and then bit back a chuckle as he saw the inflated structure that no one was bouncing on. Gabriella turned to him, her hair spinning with her so that it framed her face and grinned at him._

"_Let's go on the bouncy castle!" she whispered like it was some kind of secret. Troy raised his eyebrows at her but said nothing. "Oh come on Troy, it'll be fun." She insisted and then grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the man standing there before he could argue. They slipped their shoes off and gave the man their tickets before they hopped on the waving structure. Gabriella grinned and began to bounce pulling him with her. Troy had to admit that it looked fun and tried it himself to descover that it _was_ fun. He grinned back at her and the two of them bounced higher and higher. Troy couldn't believe how beautiful Gabriella looked as she bounced. Her locks of brown curls danced around her face making her smile even more dazzling. Troy grinned and then jumped closer to her in one leap. Gabriella giggled and hopped away from him calling, "Come and get me!" Troy rolled his eyes and then chased after her. He managed to corner her but before he could get her she giggled again and hopped to his right, spinning as she did. He wasn't expecting that and fell down onto the cushioned material. He heard her laughing and he picked himself up, a grin on his face._

"_I'm going to get you." He snarled playfully and she darted away again still laughing. He took a giant leap and managed to grab her around the waist from behind. She squealed but he held onto her, still laughing. "You're mine Montez." He whispered. She giggled and spun around to face him._

"_That I am." She replied and then slipped out of his grasp._

End of Flasback

"Now _that _was fun." She said to him. Troy nodded.

"Although, between the two of us I never figured you for a bouncy girl." He said causing her to roll her eyes at his stupidity.

"Troy, I've always loved bouncing. I used to go on the trampoline in gymnastics all the time when I was younger and I never grew out of the habit." She reminded him. He thought for a moment and shrugged,

"I never knew that." He joked and then chuckled as she slapped him playfully. "Now come on let's get some sleep." He added, gesturing to the clock. Gabriella looked at the time and nodded.

"I'm wiped." She admitted and then went to change into her pajamas.

The two of them lay in bed, her reading and him trying to sleep. Noticing his discomfort Gabriella closed her book and turned off the lamp. She snuggled into him and sighed contently.

"Good night Troy." She said her voice heavy from sleep.

"'Night Brie." He replied and she giggled as she heard his snoring a few seconds later.

**AN:Okay guys this is my first chapter to this fanfic and I hope you like it. Please R&R. I love hearing from you!**


	2. Plans

"Troy?" she asked as he shifted beside her in bed.

"Mmm?" he replied sleepily.

"When you go to Denver to take that position, how long do you think we'll be gone?" she asked. Troy rolled over.

"Gabi I-" the phone rang interrupting him. Gabriella waited until he answered it and then got up with a sigh as he talked to his dad about the game tomorrow. She got a shower and when she got back the two boys were still talking about basketball. Knowing very well he'd be on there for a while; she got dressed and brushed out her wet hair. She journeyed to the kitchen and began to make lunch for the two of them while her long chestnut hair dried into thier natural curls. She heard the shower running and knew Troy was off the phone so she hurried to make the soup faster, knowing he'd be hungry and she knew something was bothering him by the tone of his voice when he had tried to talk to her.

She heard his feet padding down the hall just as she set the bowls on the table.

"Good morning Brie." He said cheerfully, kissing her cheek.

"Good morning." She replied with a smile. He sat down and they began to eat. "Did you have a good talk with you dad?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah he wanted to know if I was going to watch the game tomorrow." Gabriella took a deep breath and tried again.

"Did he say anything about how long we'd be gone for?" she asked. Troy put his spoon down and sighed.

"No." he admitted. "But Brie I dunno if I want you to come with me when we go." Gabriella's eyes widened and she stared at him him shock. He jumped up and came around to her. "It's not that I don't want you there, you know I do." He added quickly. 'But I don't know how long I'm going to be gone for and I don't want to drag you along with me." Gabriella looked at him and saw he was pleading with her.

"Troy I don't care how long you're gone. I want to stay with you." She insisted. He shook his head.

"I know you don't, but I do." He replied. She dropped her gaze to the floor and crossed her arms.

"I still don't see why I can't go." She muttered. She heard him chuckle and she looked at him to see that he was looking at her with an amused expression.

"Well now you're just being difficult." He responded and the corners of her lips curved upwards despite her attempts to say angry with him. He grinned at her and she sighed as she gave up and smiled back.

"Fine. But this isn't over." She replied. He nodded and then went back over to his chair to finish his lunch.

"Fair enough." He said. They finished their lunch in silence and Gabriella's mind was in a whirl. 'There's no way I'm stay home while he goes halfway across the country' she thought sneaking a look at him. 'I'll need Taylor's help though.' She added in her thoughts and then made a mental note to give her friend a call. It was going to be either all or nothing.

"Hey Tay!" Gabriella greeted her friend a while later. "Can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure!" she replied.

"Troy got an offer to play on the Denver Nuggets and he accepted it-"

"Oh Gabs, that great!" Taylor interrupted. Gabriella had to smile.

"Yeah but there's a catch. He doesn't want me to come with him." She grimaced as she heard Taylor gasp.

"Well we're going to do something about that." She assured Gabriella. "There's no way you're giving in without a fight. You can gaurantee that." Gabriella's smile grew wider.

"Thanks Taylor." She said.

"No problem girl, you'd do the same for me." Just then she heard the front door open and she hurried into the kitchen.

"Troy's home so I have to go, is there anything I can do to start things off?"

"Um, just be extra nice to him and offer him stuff that he loves. Leave the rest to me."

"Okay. Will do!"

"Gabriella?" she heard Troy call out.

"Coming!" Gabriella replied. "Gotta go thanks Tay, Bye!" "Hey Troy!" she added as Troy come bustling into the kitchen with bags in his hands. She grabbed some of them from him as he went by and started putting the contents away into their drawers and cupboards.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked.

"Taylor." She replied with a smile and watched his reaction. He smiled back at her.

"How's she doing?"

"Good. She says hi." Gabriella said, relief making her slightly weak. He hadn't noticed. She turned so her back was to him and grinned. 'I just have to make him love me. Then he'll take me with him' and then crossed her fingers, hoping wth all of her might that Taylor's idea would work.


	3. Don't Leave Me

The afternoon dragged on and Gabriella grew more and more nervous that her plan wasn't going to work. She knew that he was suspicious and she longed to burst out and tell him what she was trying to do but every time she felt the urge she reminded herself what Taylor had said and bustled around to make sure he was comfterable. She was just beginning to relax beside him when he sighed and turned off the T.V. Her tension grew again as she realized he was so suspicious that he was going to confront her about it. Sure enough he turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. What's going on?" he asked. She managed a tight smile and said the words she had prepared in her head,

"What do you mean?" **(AN: Great words eh?)**

"You've been acting weird all day. Why?"

"Acting weird?" she questioned, doing her best to look confused. He just looked at her and she knew he wasn't buying it.

"You've been jumpy and nervous all day and I want to know why." He said. She winced at his tone and cleared her throat.

"I'm not sure what you mean Troy. I-" the phone rang saving her from having to think of something else. She held up a finger to Troy and then ran into the kitchen to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hey Gabs. How's the plan going?" Taylor asked.

"Tay help me, I'm dying here!" she hissed.

"What do you mean?"

"He's suspicious." She whispered, keeping her voice low so he wouldn't hear.

"Okay well…just tell him that you're sick or something and he should be okay with it."

"I can't lie to Troy, Taylor. He's always been honest with me." She said with a quick glance over shoulder to make sure that he wasn't listenig into their conversation. "I'll think of something."

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" a voice interupted their conversation and Gabriella gasped.

"Troy! Why are you listening?"

"Because I know something's wrong and I'm worried about you." He replied. "Taylor can she call you back?"

"Yeah sure. Bye guys." The phone went dead and Gabriella put it down with trembling hands as she heard Troy hang up in the other room. He came into the kitchen and stared at her. Gabriella bit her lip and pushed her trembling hands behind her so Troy wouldn't see them.

"Gabi…" he started. "Please tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong." She answered. He took a step towards her and she pressed her back into the counter, knowing that if he touched her she'd lose it.

"You're acting so nervous. Did something happen? What was Taylor talking about when she said 'plan'?" Gabriella thought quickly.

"You heard that too?" she whispered. He nodded and took another step towards her. "We were just making plans for a girls night out a-and we needed to try to find some way to…to…" she broke off and grimaced. He closed the space between them in a stride until they were but a foot apart and she had no choice but to look at him.

"Does this have anything to do with me leaving?" he asked softly. She closed her eyes for a moment. 'He knows me to well.' She thought.

"N-no. W-why would you say t-that?" she stammered. He reached out and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Gabriella?" he asked. She struggled to keep her face empty of all emotion but when she looked at him again he was looking at her with so much concern that her face crumpled and she hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Don't leave me." She whimpered. Troy sighed and gently removed her arms from around his waist.

"I have to, Brie. It's for the best." He choked out. She shook her head and wiped a tear from her face.

"No it's not Troy." She sobbed and reached for him. He took her in his arms again and soothed her as she clutched his shirt in her hands. "I can't live without you." She admitted and then blushed a bright red. She had never admitted that to him before and wasn't sure how he'd react. She looked up at his face and was sorry she did. He was staring at her with a tortured expression on his face that she had never seen him wear before. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again, abruptly.

"Please don't make this any harder than it has to be Gabi." He muttered at last. She managed to control her tears enough so she could draw away from him.

"Troy…"

"No Brie. You may not think so but this might save out relationship. Imagine if I took you with me and we got into the playoffs? We'd be gone for months! What if you get sick? I wouldn't have time to bring you to a hospital. We wouldn't be able to have much time together. It'd be miserable and you know it." Gabriella thought about this for a moment and then sighed.

"Maybe, but you know what Troy? I wouldn't mind. I don't care where I am if I'm with you. Why can't you understand that? I need you. Please don't leave me." She pleaded and looked at him with big eyes. He sighed.

"Gabs. The answer is still no. Please don't get all worked up over this." She grimaced and then nodded before walking around him towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just for a walk. I need to think." She replied. She turned to him and saw he was worried and upset. "I won't be gone long I promise." She added and when he still didn't look convinced she went over to him and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and planted a kiss in her hair. "I just need to think." She repeated and gave a gentle smile as he nodded.

"Okay." He whispered, his voice defeated. She kissed his cheek quickly and then dashed to the door.

"Thanks. Bye Troy." She called. He waved in response and she smiled at him once more before stepping into the cool night air.

**AN: So Troyella had their first "fight", well sort of anyway. Just so you know Troy got accepted to play on the Denver Nuggets. Sorry I forgot to put that in the first chapter. Sorry for any confusion! Hope you liked the chapter. R&R people. I love hearing from you! **


	4. The Soup Song

Gabriella shuffled out of bed and made her way down the hallway. She heard a voice in the kitchen and then hid a smile as she recognized it as Troy's voice singing. She quieted her steps and peeked around the corner of the wall to see Troy standing at the stove over a pot of something. He was in a good mood and she realized that this was his way of making up for their disagreement the night before.

"A little bit of salt. A little bit of pepper." He sang. "Add a little bit of…" he paused and reached for another bottle. "…parsley and a little bit of…whatever this is." He added shaking yet another bottle over the boiling pot. Gabriella pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing and continued to watch his animated cooking. "Then next on the menu is a whole wack of broccoli. Next comes the potatoes." He instructed throwing handfuls of food into the pot. 'This will be interesting.' She thought. He stumbled over to the right and grabbed a hunk of meat, which he began to cut into small pieces. "Oh I'm cutting my meat to add to my soup." He sang "I'm going to make some soup." He took the hunks of meat and dropped them into the soup. "Oh I'm making my soup. Making my soup. OH! I'm making my soup for my Gabi, dear." He wailed. Gabriella bit her lip to keep back the giggles. 'He's really getting into it.' She thought. He began to do a little dance as the soup simmered and then took a wooden spoon to stir it. "Oh soup, soup. Glorious soup. Now it's time to taste my soup." He sang and slurped some of the broth off of the spoon. "Oh soup, soup, glorious soup so tasty and…hot oh god that's hot! HOT SOUP HOT SOUP!" he screamed and she couldn't help it as she watched him dance around fanning his mouth she burst out laughing and used the door frame to support herself. He whipped around and his eyes widened with shock when he realized she had seen him acting like an idiot. "Gabi? I didn't know lu were up whis ewarly." He said thickly. Gabriella, still laughing went over the freezer and handed him an ice cube. He smiled gratefully at her and stuck it in his mouth, sighing in relief as the ice cooled his mouth.

"So how's the soup coming?" she asked and collapsed into giggles again as he glared darkly at her.

"It was coming along fine until I decided to taste it." He muttered when he was able to control the swelling of his burnt tongue. Gabriella nodded and patted her upset companion on the shoulder.

"It looks fine Troy. Nice dance by the way. I loved the lyrics… making my soup la la la." She mimicked. Troy gave her a dirty look and then winked at her. She grinned and then got up and went over to the stove. She stirred the soup which looked pretty good. It was just about finished so she took it off the burner and dished it into two bowls. She gave one to Troy and kept one for herself.

"This is actually really good Troy, great job!" He grinned at her comment and ate his eagerly. When they had finished she put the dishes into the dishwasher and turned it on. Then before she could do anything else Troy slipped his arms around her waist and lifted her up carrying her to the couch. She smiled and then gasped as he turned around so he fell onto the couch with her on his lap.

"So Gabs. What are we going to do today?" he asked. She thought for a moment.

"Well when are we-you leaving?" he pretended not to notice her slip up.

"Dad said about a week or so." Gabriella nodded and bit her lip, a habit she had when she was thinking hard. Troy watched her and read her expression easily. "We still have a while before I go sweetie. It's not time to worry okay?" Gabriella looked at him surprised. He winked at her and she rolled her eyes playfully. Gabriella shifted in his arms so that they were facing each other and studied him.

"Well how about we get together with the gang and tell them?" she suggested.

"I thought you already told Taylor?" he asked. Gabriella nodded and then grasped what he was saying.

"Oh they probably already know what's going on…" she realized. He nodded and then shrugged.

"Oh well it's probably a good idea to get together with the gang anyway. I haven't seen them in a while." Troy told her. She nodded and then got up from his lap.

"Well I'm gong to go and get a shower." she informed him and skipped off towards the bathroom. Troy shook his head in amazement and then headed toward the bedroom to get dressed.

Half an hour later the two of them stood in the park waiting for the others came. Gabriella reached out and began to trace a pattern on the tree trunk beside her. Troy placed his had over hers and smiled at her when she looked questioningly at him.

"Why are you nervous?" he asked quietly. She shrugged.

"I'm just curious about how the others will react, that's all." she said, avoiding looking in his eyes. He continued to look at her and she sighed. He pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair, knowing very well what the real reason was.

"Gabi I know you don't want me to go, but the others are going to go through the same thing you are. Please don't mention that you're not going. I just want to work this out between the two of us. Please?" he begged, knowing that if she got the other girls on her side he's have no choice but to take her. Gabriella sighed and nodded before pulling away from him as Taylor came bounding up to them.

"Gabi!" she squealed and hugged her friend tightly. Gabriella laughed and forgot her troubles for the moment.

"Sheesh Tay, it's not like I've been gone for a million years!" she teased but hugged her friend back, pleased. Then she turned around and was engulfed in another pick hug. "Hey Sharpay." she said with a grin.

"How's it going girlie?" Sharpay squealed.

"Good." Gabriella said and then hugged Kelsei too. The 8 of them started to walk around the park, catching up on things while Gabriella stayed close to Troy and kept quiet. Troy tried unsuccessfully to get nr into the conversation but she pulled herself out of it every time. He gave up and talked to the guys. Holding her hand tightly in his own. Gabriella was upset and it was his job to fix it.

**AN: So there you go. Another chapter for you. I know this one was kind of boring but it is going to get better as it goes. Right now I'm killing time until he leaves. R&R please!**


	5. Explosion

The silence was deafening. Gabriella looked over at Troy and saw he had his head down in his hands. She took a deep breath and put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and looked at her.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." She whispered. He smiled grimly and put his head back in his hands. She grimaced. She hated what was going on between them. It was tearing her apart. "Troy?" she asked. He looked up again. She opened her mouth to say something else and then faltered. She swallowed and tried again. "A-are you mad at me?" she stammered. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"No. Why would I be?" his voice was in a monotone. She winced.

"You're acting weird."

"Have you ever thought that maybe I'm stressed?" he spat. She shied away from him and stared at him with big eyes. He sighed and got up, leaving the apartment saying he needed to think. Gabriella took deep breaths to keep from crying and went to their bedroom where she found a book and started reading. She couldn't concentrate on what she was reading at all and was glad when the phone rang.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Gabs?"

"Hey mom!" she said, cheering up immediately.

"Oh it's so nice to hear from you. I thought you'd forgotten about your old mom." She joked. Gabriella laughed.

"Mooom. Of course I didn't forget about you, I've been busy is all. Troy got asked to play for the Denver Nuggets."

"Oh honey, that's great!"

"Yeah…" Gabriella couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"You don't sound very happy about it." Her mom said, reading her thoughts. Gabriella sighed.

"It's complicated."

"I'm listening."

"It's just…I'm glad he got the job, but…he doesn't want me-no wait he _wont _let me come with him." There was a short silence.

"Have you asked him why?" he mom questioned.

"Yeah, he said he thinks it will ruin out relationship."

"Oh well I can understand that, with all of the moving about and everything." Gabriella couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was siding with him on this one!

"Mom! He won't let me go with him! How can you agree with him?" she cried, shocked.

"Bella, listen to me. He's only doing this to help you. You'd be miserable."

"That's what he keeps saying." She sighed.

"Try to see this from his point of view. You might be able to understand why he wants you to stay here." Her mom advised. Gabriella thought about it for a second.

"I guess I can try."

"There you go. Sorry honey I need to go. Your brother wants me."

"Okay. Say hi to Theodore for me."

"Will do. Say hi to Troy for me too."

"Okay mom I love you."

"I love you too sweetie, bye!" Gabriella hung up the phone and settled back down in her chair with her book. She didn't read it however. Instead she thought hard about what her mother had described to her. She realized then how she must have seemed to Troy and made the decision to talk to him about it and try to understand. Just then she heard the door open and she hopped up, hurrying out to the door. Troy met her halfway and before she could say anything he pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair. Surprised, she hugged him back and wondered why he was so eager to see her again. She found out soon enough.

"Brie, I am _so_ sorry. I didn't mean to talk to you like that. It was wrong of me." He apologized, his voice begging. Gabriella looked up at him in confusion for a minute and then remembered.

"_Have you ever thought that maybe I'm stressed?"_

She nodded.

"It's okay Troy forget about it." She told him and meant it. He studied her for a second and then nodded. "And I'm sorry too…about not seeing everything from your point of view. I can sort of understand why you don't want me to come…but I still don't agree with your decision." She informed him. He chuckled.

"I don't expect you too." He said with a smile. She grinned back and they journeyed to the porch so Troy could take his shoes off.

The rest of the time passed quickly and before Gabriella knew it Troy was leaving in a few days. Secretly Gabriella still had a false hope that Troy would change his mind at the last minute and take her but she never mentioned it to him. She entered the bedroom that night to see an open suitcase on the bed and the closet had erupted. She stared with big eyes and an open mouth at the mess.

"Hey Gabi?" a voice called from the closet "Have you seen…what?" Troy emerged from the closet to see her standing there. "I'll clean it up, I promise." She nodded, dumbstruck and walked over to him, closing her mouth. "As I was saying. Have you seen my purple sweater?" Gabriella reached out and handed it to him. "Oh…" he muttered, looking sheepish. She rolled her eyes playfully and began to clean up the mess.

He finished packing his suitcase and then they lay down on the bed together. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears back and hoped he wouldn't notice. If he did, he didn't let on and she was grateful for it. He reached out and began to play with her hair as they lay there together. Troy smiled at her when she glanced at him and she found herself smiling back at him, despite her downed spirits. She wiggled closer to him and sighed in contentment as he began to hum a tune.

"I'm not happy about leaving you either Gabs, but I have to." He whispered after a bit of silence. "I'll miss you so much. But believe me, it'll be worth it in the end. You'll be thanking me soon enough." An anger flared up in her chest and she hid her face in his chest to keep from screaming in frustration.

"I'll miss you too Troy" she murmured He sat up and brought her with him.

"Gabs…" he whispered and she knew that he had detected a hint of disappointment in her voice. She shook her head and turned her face away so he wouldn't see her face which was in a tortured expression, full of the words she could never say. He reached out and touched her but she shrugged away from him and then stumbled down the hall, needing to leave before she blew up at him. He was beside her in an instant, wrapping his arm around her waist. She lost it. She whipped around and pulled away.

"S-stop it." She screamed. "It just makes it harder." He started, surprised at her outburst. She grabbed her head in her hands. "I'm tired of pretending that I'm not scared, I'm tired of pretending that I'm not going to fall apart. I _need _you Troy, but you obviously don't feel the same about me. I-I can't do this anymore. I can't" and without waiting for him to answer she whirled around once more and bolted out the door, running as fast as she could, putting as much space between then two of them as she could. Soon she was crying so hard that it forced her to stop moving and she collapsed onto the sidewalk sobs, racking her body. She pounded the concrete with her fists and curled up in a ball, trying to deal with all of the pain. Eventually she stopped shaking enough so she could get up and continue to stumble away from him. Somehow she ended up at Taylor's house and knocked on the door. Chad answered it and Gabriella realized she must have looked worse then she felt because he grabbed her in a hug and yelled for Taylor to come. Gabriella explained the whole situation to them again and Taylor assured her that she could stay the night.

She lay in bed that night and thought hard about the events of the day. She felt like crying all over again when she thought of how Troy had just stood there, helpless while she screamed at him and felt guilty. Yet she knew she couldn't face him now. She had been so selfish and only thought of herself. All she could hope was that he would wait until she was ready, and if not, then that was how life went.

**AN: So yeah, there you have it. I hope you liked it, and there's still way more to go! R&R plz I LOVE hearing from you guys!**


	6. Boycott

Gabriella awoke with a start and then pressed a hand to her chest to slow her speeding heart. She pressed her hand to her eyes and struggled to remember why she was so upset. It all came flooding back. Her blowing up at Troy, Troy's expression. She grimaced and clasped her hands together to keep from breaking anything in the room. There was a soft knock on the door and Taylor poked her head in. Gabriella smiled and beckoned for her to come in. She did and sat down beside her distraught friend.

"Troy's called for you twice today." She mumbled. Gabriella's breath caught in her throat.

"I-I can't face him." Gabriella whispered. Taylor sighed and shifted so she was looking at Gabriella.

"Gabs, I know you're embarrassed and upset but Troy's not mad at you. He wants to talk to you and he's upset because you didn't come back last night." Taylor explained. Gabriella took a deep breath.

"When does his flight leave?"

"You don't know?"

"I never asked." Gabriella mumbled.

"Around 7:00." Taylor replied. "He wants to see you Gabi. Don't ignore him." Then she left Gabriella in the silence. Gabriella bit her lip and made her decision quickly. Then with a determined expression on her face she got out of bed and began to get ready.

A half an hour later she stood by the front door, feeling extremely guilty, but determined. She slipped her sweater and shoes on and hurried out the door before Taylor could see her. She went to the library and began to scan the rows of bookshelves, not paying attention to what she was looking at. Her mind was far away on-who else-Troy and how he would react that night. She grabbed a random book and sat down at the table to read it. She found herself interested in the book and became intrigued by the characters. When she looked up again the clock read 5:15 and her stomach grumbled loudly. She grabbed the book she had been reading, the two other books in the series and checked them out before hurrying to the food court in the mall. She gulped down a burger without tasting it and then bolted from the mall in case somebody saw her.

Feeling paranoid, she went to the park that her and the gang had gone to earlier that week and sat down on the swings to read again. The wind caressed her cheeks and lifted her hair off of her face. She glanced up and the ducked when she saw Troy walking towards her. She snuck away and hid behind the jungle jim as he wandered aimlessly around, his expression torn. She realized with a twinge of guilt that she had made him feel that way and wanted so much to run to him and tell him that she loved him, but bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out. She had come this far and she wasn't going to give up now. He sat down on the swing she had been sitting on and put his forehead in his hands. He stayed like that for a while and she felt her heart accelerate when she heard him sobbing quietly. Her heart broke and she wrapped her arms around her knees to keep from getting up and running over to him. He got up from the swings and swept his eyes around the park one last time before heaving a loud sigh. She realized that he had been looking for her and she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Tears ran down her face and she let them fall freely as he got into the car and drove off. She looked at her watch. 6:30. He was gone for good. Waiting for a few more minutes she crouched there and then darted over to the apartment building, running inside and fishing her key from her pocket to get into their room. She let herself in and the leaned against the closed door as her heart slowed down to it's usual pace. Taking deep breaths Gabriella stumbled over to the couch and collapsed in a heap onto it. 6:45. The sound of the second ticking away on the clock irritated her and she pressed a pillow to her ears to prevent it from driving her insane. She forced herself to get up and she walked unsteadily to their bedroom. She found an envelope on the bed and she picked it up with trembling fingers. Sliding her finger nail under it to break the seal Gabriella closed her eyes before reading the words she knew would hurt her more than knives being thrust into her.

_Gabriella,_

_I know you're upset and I'm sorry that I can't take you but you know my reasons. I'm not sure where you are right now or even if you're reading this but I want you to know that I want to see you before I go and if you can't come for some reason the I left this so you'll know how I feel. I'm sorry that you're angry and I don't mean to hurt you. Please don't be mad at me but if you are than I understand. Please come tonight Brie. I want to say goodbye to you before I leave. I love you so much and nothing can ever change that._

_All my love,_

_Troy xox_

Her eyes widened and she collapsed onto the bed, crumpling the paper in her fist. She didn't cry but rocked herself back and forth as wave after wave of pain hit her, causing her to wince. 6:55. She closed her eyes again and fell back onto the bed, praying for the pain to go away. Her prayers were answered and the pain left leaving a unfamiliar numbness in it's absence. 6:56. She wondered what Troy was thinking and if he had written that note while she had been in the library or right before he had left. 6:57. He would be boarding the plane now and she forced herself to breathe deeply as her heart accelerated. She began to tremble and she hugged herself in a desperate attempt to hold the agony in. 6:58. She got up and paced, anything to keep her thoughts at bay. She avoided looking that note that was still crumpled in her hand and instead stared at the carpet. 6:59. Right, left, right, left. Her feet made a rhythm as she moved. Right, left, right, left. 7:00. Her pace quickened and she walked faster and faster until she was panting. She forced herself to keep walking and ignored the pain in her legs as her muscles complained.

Exhausted, she dropped the carpet and closed her eyes. Her thoughts slipped away from her and she let the darkness take over her. Gladly accepting the cloak of black. Anything to distract her from Troy.

**AN: There you go! I know it's kind of a depressing chapter but it's mostly because Gabriella is depressed. It'll get better, don't worry. R&R please! I love hearing from you guys!**


	7. Love Notes

"Gabs! There you are, we've been looking for you everywhere!" Taylor's voice brought her out of her trance. She groaned and sat up, her head spinning. "Oh Gabi, you look horrible." She opened her eyes.

"Gee thanks Taylor." she grumbled. Chad popped down beside her and they got her off of the floor. Gabriella helped them as best she could but was still numb from the night before. She looked down and saw the note was still in her hand. She smoothed the paper out and then placed it on the table beside the bed. Chad hugged her tightly and she hugged him back with little enthusiasm. Taylor patted her friend on the shoulder and then the three of them got into the car outside and drove away.

"Are you sure it's okay that I stay with you?" Gabriella asked them for the fourth time as they drove along. Taylor and Chad sighed in unison.

"_Yes_ Gabriella." Taylor replied. "It's fine." She assured her friend. It was silent for a few minutes and then Taylor turned to her friend. "Just out of curiousity, why didn't you come last night?" Gabriella grimaced.

"I couldn't."

"He missed you." Chad added quietly.

"You guys _know_ that I hate saying good bye." She whispered. "This just isn't easy for me." 

"We know Gabster." Chad whispered. "But we were all there to help you. Troy was really upset." Gabriella winced again and took a shuddery breath.

"Maybe I'll call him" she whispered. But deep down she knew she couldn't face him. Not anymore. Not after what she had done. She fingered with the necklace around her neck that Troy had given to her**(The one he gives her in HSM 2)** and sighed, biting her lip once more. The car ride was silent from then on and Gabriella escaped into her thoughts to struggling to prevent Troy's face from popping up. It was tough but Gabriella managed to keep her thoughts in check until they got to Taylor and Chad's place. Once there Gabriella kept herself busy with helping Taylor make lunch and then helped her friend with laundry. She was in the middle of it when she realized with a start that she would have to go back to the apartment to get some supplies if she was going to stay here. "I need to go back to the apartment so I can get some clothes." She told Taylor. Taylor nodded and Gabriella walked the distance in a short time. She unlocked the door and kept her eyes straight ahead as she half ran to the bedroom. She went to the closet and began to put clothes in a pile on the bed. She reached up to the top shelf to get a pair of socks and in her hurry knocked down a shoebox. It fell to the carpet and spilt it's contents everywhere. Gabriella tossed the socks to the bed and bent down to gather the envelopes on the floor. Her name written caught her eyes and she opened the envelope with hesitant fingers.

_Gabi,_

_You took my breath away when I first saw you. Your eyes are like brown orbs, illuminating the night sky with their glow. Your hair is as soft as silk and I love running my fingers through it. You make me whole, you are my soul mate; my other half. I love you dearly and nothing will ever change that. When we're out of high school I know we'll still be together. I know we're too young right now but I want you to marry me someday and I want to be with you forever. All my love,_

_Troy xox_

Gabriella smiled, recognizing Troy's sloppy handwriting and gave a sigh, wondering how long ago he had written it. She put the letter back in the envelope and then picked up another random one addressed to her. Taking a quick look around the pile of envelopes she realized with a start that they were all addressed to her. She opened the one she held now and began to read.

_ Gabriella,_

_I don't know if I'm ever going to see you again. But I want you to know that I had so much singing karaoke with you and I would give anything to do it again. I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the lodge on New Years Day but we had to leave. I hope you had as much as fun I did and I want you to know that you are one special girl. Singing with you was the most fun I've had in a long time and it was a great way to end the year. I'll remember it forever,_

_Troy_

Gabriella smiled. He must have written this the day after they had met the first timethat time in the ski lodge on New Years Eve. She put that one aside with the first one and picked up another one.

_Gabriella,_

_You are my one true love and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even though we may be separated by universities we will be together again some day and I intend to stay with you forever. Chad likes you a lot and he knows how much I would give to be with you right now especially on your birthday. Happy Birthday my sweet and I hope you have the best day you can ever experience. I love you,_

_Troy xox_

She picked up the rest of the letters and the ones she had just read and put them into the bag that she had abandoned. She finished packing quickly and then took her time walking back to Taylor's. Why had she never received these letters? Had Troy lost his nerve and put them in the box one by one as they collected up? She made a mental note to ask him when he got back and then a pang of sadness hit her as she realized she had no idea when she would see him again. She pushed the thought from her mind as she reached the door, hurrying to find Taylor. She told her friend about the letters she had found and Taylor was happy for her friend. Gabriella smiled a real smile for the first time that day and went to the guest room to put her things away.

Later that night she sat on the couch with a book in her hands, and staring blankly at the pages. She knew what she was going to do. She felt horribly guilty for what she had done to Troy and was determined to make it up to him. Her plan was foolhardy but she ignored that fact and closed her book with a puff of air shooting up into her face.

"I can do this." She told herself. "This is for Troy."

**AN: I hope you liked it! Gabriella has a plan and nothing going to stop her. Go Gabriella! Next up she faces some hard points of the road. Will she make it? R&R people I love hearing from you!**


	8. Ernie

The sun was bright and she slipped on her sunglasses as she sped up on the highway. She had said goodbye to Taylor and Chad and explained her plan to them. They had tried to stop her but she was to stubborn to listen to them, explaining that she had to find him; had to tell him she was sorry. Taylor tried to tell her just to call him but she waved it off saying she wanted to do it person. She blinked tears from her eyes and took a deep breath, turning the radio on so she could sing along to the songs she knew. She hummed along to the songs and then concentrated on the roads as the traffic grew thicker as the hours slipped away from her. By the end of the first day she had gone 1000 miles. She was exhausted and it was past midnight but she was happy with her amount that she had covered. She was now 1000 miles closer to Troy. That thought made her excited and all thoughts of exhaustion were swept from her head as she imagined what he would say when she got to him. He would be surprised no doubt but she could deal with that. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. What if he had moved on from her? What if he had found someone else? She forced the thought from her head and breathed in quickly and calmly. He wouldn't move on. He had told her that he loved her countless times. Just because she hadn't said goodbye gave him no reason to turn away from her. Still panic rose in her chest and she fought the urge to get back in the car and continue on.

Resting her bag on the table in her hotel room she looked at her watch and decided it was time to eat. Getting back in her car she drove to the nearest restaurant and the waiter showed her to a little table all by herself. She didn't even notice the other people around her until she heard someone sit down next to her. Her head snapped up and she felt her pulse quicken as a middle aged man sat down.

"Hello young maiden. Why are you sitting by yourself?" he asked. Gabriella swallowed.

"I-I'm just eating supper…why?"

"Well I just assumed that you would be with someone, such a pretty young lady like you." He purred. Gabriella took a deep breath.

"My boyfriend's coming." She lied. "He just had to go to the bathroom." The stranger nodded.

"Well I'll wait here until he comes so you won't be lonely. I'm Ernie by the way."

"Gabriella." She muttered. She started to eat her food but found herself to scared to even taste what she was eating. She finished quickly and then jumped as Ernie put a hand on her leg.

"So where's your boyfriend, princess?" he asked, raising an eyebrow suggestidly. Gabriella thought quickly. She glanced out the window and pretended to see someone in the parking lot.

"Oh there he is. I'd better go." She excused herself and then ran from the dining room to pay her check, aware all the time that Ernie was following her. Her heartbeat accelerated again as she walked down the hallway to get to the door into the parking lot and she saw that Ernie was shadowing her. She walked faster but Ernie sped up and was soon right beside her. He put his arm around her waist and she slid away from him but found herself trapped by the wall. Suddenly he had her pinned against the wall, holding her arms tightly.

"I think you've been lying to me haven't you Gabriella? You're a pretty girl and I don't want to hurt you but I will if you fight me." He purred in her ear. She whimpered and struggled against him but he held her tightly and her wrists were beginning to hurt from the pressure he put on them.

"Let me go." She whispered. "I have to go." He chuckled bringing his face close to hers so that only a few inches separated them. Her eyes widened.

"I don't think so. Now let me have my fun." He advised her and then kissed her furiously. She fought against him but found herself stuck in his grip. He let her go and pressed her against the wall again with his body. Tears were running down her face as he lifted the bottom of her shirt but by then Gabriella was so scared she was kicking. He sprang away from her as she kicked him as hard as she could and then she raced away from him, not stopping until she was in her car and speeding down the street. Her heart was pounding so hard she put a hand over it, scared it would jump right out of her chest. She drove back to the hotel and when she got to the hotel room she hurried to the room and locked the doors and windows, paranoid. Then she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and dialled the number that Taylor had given her for Troy. She suddenly remembered that it was past midnight and was about to hang up when a voice came on.

"Hello?" Troy's voice was groggy with sleep. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. "Hello?" he asked again. Gabriella hung up the phone and huddled into a ball on the bed.

"Oh Troy." She whimpered. "I wish you were here." She glanced at the clock. 2:35am. She groaned and then crawled into the blankets, not even bothering to change into her pyjamas. Setting her alarm for 6:30 she snuggled down and was soon asleep. Her dreams were filled with Ernie's face full of anger and Troy's face full of sorrow, the way it had been at the park the night he had left. She tossed and turned all night and struggled to wake herself up but it was no use. She knew it would be a long time until she could shake off Ernie's voice but knew that she absolutely had to find Troy and explain to him why she hadn't come to the airport. She felt horribly guilty and missed him terribly. She was going to apologize to him even if it was the last thing she did.

**AN: Sorry for the short chapter guys. I had to introduce Ernie into it but I promise it will get a lot better. Next up Gabriella faces more troubles and seems to have a stalker on her hands. R&R please!**


	9. An Unexpected Visitor

Gabriella jumped from her nightmare as her alarm went off. Sitting up slowly she blinked the sleep from her eyes and shuddered as the nights events came rushing back to her in a flurry of commotion. After changing she took her small bag and repacked all of her belongings into it and loaded it into the trunk of her car. After a quick breakfast she pulled onto the highway and bit her lip as she saw the stretch of road that lay ahead of her. Sighing, she sped up and turned the radio on again to distract herself as she had done the day before. 'This will bring me closer to Troy.' She reminded herself.

As the hours wore on she began to sing along with the radio and found herself singing harmony with the singer in the song. Her brow furrowed as she sang the chorus. That wasn't right…she was singing _with_ the singer. She shook her head and sang louder, pushing away that thought that someone else was singing with her. There was no one else in the car. How could someone be singing with her? But as the song progressed the raspy voice near her got louder and despite Gabriella's judgement her heart began to pound in her chest as her mind threw scary pictures to her eyes. She sped up on the highway and tried to stop her hands from trembling on the steering wheel but it was no use. She was scared out of her wits and she had no idea why. She stopped singing as her voice gave out from fear but the raspy voice continued. She turned off the radio with shaking fingers and the raspy voice stopped abruptly. Gabriella sighed with relief. It was just the radio.

"Why did you turn the radio off Gabriella?" A voice whispered in her ear. Gabriella shrieked and swerved to the side of the road. Passing cars honked angrily at her but she couldn't hear them in her fearful state as she whipped around, struggling with her seatbelt. A familiar face smirking at her sent her heart pounding faster than ever and she groaned.

"What in the world are you doing in my car, Ernie?" she half yelled putting a hand over her pounding heart. Ernie's smirk grew wider.

"Well I thought that would be obvious my dear. I didn't get what I asked for last night so I had to stay with you to get it." He purred. Gabriella's eyes widened and her hand scrambled for the door handle. She half climbed half fell out of the door when it swung open and clambered away from the vehicle as Ernie opened the back door and followed her. "Now, now Gabriella, none of that." Ernie scolded. Gabriella screamed again as brakes squealed to a stop close to her. A man jumped out of the vehicle that stopped and helped her up.

"Is this person hurting you?" he asked. Gabriella nodded and then gasped as Ernie stumbled towards her with a livid expression on his face. The man ushered her towards his vehicle. "Come on I'll give you a ride." He assured her. Normally Gabriella would never accept a ride from a stranger but this was an emergency. She climbed into the truck and sighed in relief as the man pulled back onto the highway leaving Ernie screaming at them in his dust. Gabriella closed her eyes and placed her head in her hands as silence fell in the car and took deep breaths to calm herself down. "Excuse me Miss…" the man asked quietly.

"Gabriella." She stated, jerking her head up with a wobbly smile "Gabriella Montez" she introduced herself. The man nodded

"Miss Montez…are you alright?"

"Yes I'm alright. He didn't do anything to me." She told him. 'Yet' she finished in her head.

"I know it's none of my business but why are you scared of him?" Gabriella took a deep breath.

"This is going to sound really weird but…last night I was eating supper and he started to follow me and I managed to get away from him but he…somehow…managed to get in my car and he keeps stalking me. You see my boyfriend left a few days ago and I'm trying to find him so I have to travel to get to him and Ernie found me last night so I'm trying to get to Troy faster and it's not working." Gabriella said in a rush and then wondered why she had just told a complete stranger her life story. The man looked slightly confused.

"So Ernie is the one who's been following you?" he asked.

"Yes and Troy is my boyfriend, who I'm trying to find." Gabriella clarified. The man nodded in understanding.

"This…Troy. Does he know that you're trying to find him?" he asked. Gabriella grimaced.

"No" she admitted. "I-I haven't gotten around to calling him yet."

"Here. Call him" the man said, handing her a cell phone. Gabriella took the phone with shaking hands and hesitated, biting her lip. "I'd feel a lot better if you did." The man told her. Gabriella sighed and nodded. She dialled his cell number and waited. The phone rang five times before the message machine cut in.

"H-Hi Troy. It's Gabriella." She started. "I just wanted to say hi and that I have a slight surprise for you. I-I'm coming to see you so can you call me when you get this? Thanks. Bye" she hung up quickly and handed the phone to the man. "Thanks." She muttered. He nodded and smiled at her before turning back to the road.

"Do you think that Ernie will follow us?" he asked. Gabriella shuttered.

"I'm sure of it." She told him. The man frowned.

"Well then I would be delighted if you would stay with me until we can get you to Troy. I don't want him to harm you." He invited. Gabriella hesitated feeling very much like a burden.

"I wouldn't want to be a pain. You would have to go out of your way for me." The man smiled, amused.

"Actually no I wouldn't. Troy's last name is Bolton correct?" Gabriella stared at the man with wide eyes. How had he known that? Was he a stalker too? The man laughed at her terrified expression. "Don't worry I'm not like Ernie." He stated as if he had read her thoughts. "I'm just saying that if his last name is Bolton then he is a member of the Denver Nuggets." Gabriella nodded, numbly.

"Yes he is." She answered.

"Well the day after tomorrow he has a game against the Phoenix Suns that I'm going to go and watch so I'm headed that way regardless if you're here or not." Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Sure I'll ride with you if you wouldn't mine but you have to let me earn my keep." The man looked at her and then laughed, heartily.

"I wouldn't have it any other way Missy." He stated. Gabriella grinned and turned her attention to out the window. "Although as soon as we get to the next stop I think we should call a tow truck for your car and then get your things." He advised. Gabriella nodded in agreement, turning to look at her new friend.

"I think that's a good idea." She said and then leaned her head on her arm. Things were going her way for once. She was out of danger for the moment and the day after tomorrow she would see Troy again. With the pleasant image of Troy in her mind she fell into a deep sleep and as the man drove her closer to Troy she slept peacefully for the first time since Troy had gotten the phone call.

**AN: Hope you liked that chapter guys. I had a lot of fun writing it. Sorry for the long wait, school's been keeping me busy. Did you like this chapter? I know I did and soon to come are a few more problems. She's getting closer to Troy! cheers R&R people I love hearing from you on what you like and don't like!**


	10. The Buzzer

Gabriella awoke to the sound of someone calling her name. Opening her eyes she saw her new friend looking at her with an amused smile.

"Someone was tired." He announced when she finally opened her eyes. Gabriella smiled and then blushed as she looked around her. The truck was sitting in front of a quiet little motel and her mind screamed at her to help the man who was generously giving her a ride. She stretched quickly and looked over at him.

"Sorry. I must have dozed off." She apologized. He waved it off and she gave a small smile again. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Well if you feel up to it I have some bags of my own that I could use some help carrying in." Gabriella nodded and they got out of the truck, around to the back. It took them two trips each but they managed to get all of the gear into the motel lobby. Gabriella fetched her cell phone from her pocket and called a tow truck, before remembering she had no idea where her car was. She handed it to the man sheepishly and he winked playfully at her before giving coordinates to the person on the phone. When he was done he handed the phone back to her and she smiled in thanks. After the man had gotten his room the two of them dragged the luggage up the hallway and into the room. Then they went for supper before waiting in the lounge for the tow truck to come.

It came soon enough and Gabriella was relieved to see that on one had stolen anything and everything was just the way she had left it. As she was lifting her purse out of the front seat a little slip of paper fell out of one of the open pouches. She picked it up and stuffed it back in her purse, deciding to read it later on. She hoisted her knapsack onto her back and lifted her suitcase to the room right beside the room that her friend was staying in; that she had paid for herself.

She retired to her room soon after that but not before asking him who to ask for at the desk. He smiled

"Just ask for Jason." He instructed her and she smiled and nodded before bidding him goodnight. Once alone in her room she changed into her pyjamas and collapsed into her bed. She checked her phone to see if she had any messages and was surprised to see that she didn't. It was unlike Troy not to call her back. 'Maybe he's busy with basketball.' She thought 'He probably hasn't had time to check his messages yet' she yawned and then went through her pictures until she found one of Troy. She gazed in longing at the picture and somehow just seeing a picture of Troy made her feel more at ease and she put her phone back on the table beside her bed, snuggling down into the soft, warm blankets. Just before she drifted off to sleep she remembered the little note that had fallen out of her purse. Yawning again she shook her head. 'I'll read it in the morning.' She thought and the fell asleep.

RING! Gabriella jumped and sat up, rubbing her head. RING! Gabriella groaned and grabbed her cell phone from the table.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Gabs! How are you doing?" Taylor's voice asked. Gabriella smiled at her friends' excited voice.

"I had a rough start but I'm doing okay now." She said, honestly, realizing she felt safe with Jason.

"Gabi, please come home, we're worried about you and Chad really wants you to come back." Taylor pleaded. Gabriella sighed.

"Tay, we've been through this before…besides I'm getting there tonight. I'm not stopping now. I have to find Troy and I'm not coming home until I do." Taylor sighed over the phone.

"Goodness, you're being stubborn." She grumbled. Gabriella giggled and she heard Taylor give a quiet laugh on the other side of the phone. "Oh Chad wants to talk to you…" she added. Gabriella grinned.

"Okay. Bye Tay, I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Gabs, be careful!"

"Gabster! I _command_ you to come home this instant!" Chad yelled. Gabriella burst out laughing and hurriedly bit her tongue when she realized Chad was serious.

"Chad…I'm not coming home. Besides it would take me longer to come home then it would be to find Troy. I'm getting to him tonight so you can wait until after that. Then I'll decide on what I want to do." She explained to Chad. There was silence on the other end and then Chad sighed.

"Then you'll come home?" he asked, his voice strained.

"Yes Chad, then I'll come home."

"Good. Taylor sure misses you. He said gruffly.

"I miss you too Chad. Goodbye!" she said with a smile and then when he had bid her farewell she hung up the phone with a giggle and got up out of bed. After she and Jason had eaten breakfast they loaded their stuff into the truck once more they began to drive and Gabriella bounced anxiously in her seat, excited already.

Hours later Gabriella was humming along to a song on the radio and she heard Jason chuckle beside her.

"What?" she asked, fearing she had done something wrong. He smiled over at her.

"You can stay on tune much better then me." He joked. She giggled.

"I love singing."

"Sing something for me!" he asked. Gabriella obeyed and sang along with the song on the radio, letting her voice soar above the singers and she closed her eyes to get the full effect. Once the last note had died away she reopened her eyes to see Jason staring at her in wide-eyed shock.

"Phew, Miss Montez, you have an _amazing_ voice!" he complimented. Gabriella smiled and then blushed a bit.

"Thank you." She muttered. Jason turned his eyes back to the road with a smile on his own, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Amazing!" he breathed. Gabriella giggled and clasped her hands on her lap together.

Time continued to pass and Gabriella was beside herself with excitement as they pulled into the parking lot of the stadium. Jason laughed at her behaviour and then started poking fun at her. In the end they were both laughing so hard that Jason parked his car in the nearest spot so he could wipe tears from his eyes. Gabriella did that same and then put her hand on the door handle to get out of the car. They walked together to the entrance and after Jason pleaded with the door man and Gabriella had paid a considerable amount of money they finally got through the door and Gabriella sighed with relief as she looked around to see nothing but people around her. She bit her lip and then looked over at Jason to see him pointing at something in the distance. She trained her eyes on whatever he was pointing at and as they got closer she saw a sign pointing different ways with various places on it. The two of them studied the signs and Gabriella looked towards the court, longing to see Troy, but instead saw nothing but the polished floor. She gave a small sigh and then looked at Jason in confusion. He looked over at her and saw the anxiety in her expression.

"I think your best bet is to wait until half time so they'll all be taking a break. Maybe you can sneak a chance to go and see him then." He offered. Gabriella nodded and smiled tenderly.

"I guess so." She murmured and then followed Jason into the stands to watch the game.

A while later the half time buzzer sounded and the players returned to their benches to get drinks. Gabriella got up from her seat and made her way down as close to the benches as she could but found herself pushed behind screaming girls, wanting their autograph. Gabriella moaned and then managed to squeeze past the squealing fans and looked around the court anxiously for Troy but couldn't see him amongst the others. Fear rose inside of her. Where was he? She had seen him playing so he must be here. Gabrielle whipped around and hurried back the way she came until she was back to the sign where her and Jason had talked before. 'Maybe I should check the locker rooms?' she thought to herself and then remembered that she wouldn't be allowed in there.

"Hello, pigeon. Looking gloomy today aren't we?" a voice growled quietly from behind her. Gabriella winced and then turned around to see Ernie staring at her. She groaned and then bolted into the crowd before he could grab her. She knew he was following her and she whimpered quietly as she ran. Suddenly an answer came to her and she changed the direction in which she was running, instead going towards the huge sign that said 'Security' She heard Ernie swear behind her and she ran faster, forcing herself to go as fast as her scared body would allow. She came in sight of the uniformed men and tapped one of them on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, Someone's trying to hurt me." She pleaded. The man looked around, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Who?" he asked, his voice deep. Gabriella turned to see Ernie had completely disappeared and she turned back around feeling like an idiot.

"H-he must have gone another way." She stammered. The man frowned at her but her look must have been desperate and he sighed.

"Give me a description of him and a name and I'll look out for him." He said. Gabriella gave him a description of Ernie and then went back into the crowd. She crept cautiously now and then decided to make her way back up to her seat realizing there was only 2 minutes of the break left. She crossed her arms around her stomach and was going by the screaming girls when she heard someone call her name. She turned her head and her heart stopped beating at the sight in front of her.

He was taller then she remembered but his blue eyes were just as worried as they had been the night he had left. Gabriella gasped and excited butterflies fluttered around her stomach.

"Troy!" she cried a grin spreading across her face. Troy smiled back and then stepped towards her but before he could a man put his hand in the way and said something to Troy that she couldn't hear. Troy's face crumpled and he looked at her, holding his hands up in defeat just as the buzzer sounded, signalling the end of the break. Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you after the game." She promised him. Troy smiled and nodded in reply.

"There you are princess…you're dead." A voice whispered and Gabriella screamed as a hand clamped down on her shoulder.

**AN: Ooooh, who do you think it is? Haha I left you guys on a cliff hanger just for fun and I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I know I did! What's going to happen next? Duh Duh DUH! R&R people!**


	11. Troy

Gabriella whipped around and her excitement turned into terror as she saw Ernie staring at her, once again, with an undeniable greed in his eyes. He began to drag her back through the crowd, his steely** (-Word?)** grip, hurting her arm. She turned and searched around the crowd, finally settling on Troy's face. His smile had disappeared and a furious look invaded his usually peaceful eyes. She reached for him and he let out a furious roar, charging into the crowd after her. Ernie heard his yell and ran faster, dragging her along behind him. She fought him, tears rolling down her face as she crashed into people of the crowd. On and on he pulled her until she thought her lungs would burst. Suddenly she was jerked free and he looked up to see the security guard that she had talked to was wrestling him to the ground. Gabriella stepped back, tears still rolling down her face and trembled slightly as he fought the guard, managing to stick his arm out so that he grabbed Gabriella.

She screamed as she went sprawling onto the ground, and Ernie grabbed a fistful of her hair, determined not to let her go. More hands tangled in her hair and she sobbed harder, terrified out of her wits as someone else joined the struggle on the ground. Ernie let go of her hair with a roar of pain and Gabriella squirmed away from him, and strong arms pulled her to her feet. She knew it was Troy who had rescued her but she didn't have the strength to reach over and hug him. She stood rooted to the spot, her heart racing, painfully, and struggled to stop her tears as people stared at her. It didn't matter that she didn't hug him, Troy knew how terrified she was and held her as tightly as he could, soothing her tears into hiccups. She clutched him, desperately, scared that Ernie was still near and buried her face in his basketball jersey as he calmed her down. When she had gotten her emotions somewhat under control she looked up at Troy to see him looking at her with tears of his own. Keeping his arms around her he led her around the struggle with the security, making sure Ernie didn't get near her, glaring daggers into him, and around a few corners until they got to a quieter place. Once there he hugged her again and she hugged him back as hard as she could. He let go of her and cupped her face in his hand, searching her eyes for answers to unasked questions.

"I'm okay." She whispered. Troy said nothing and continued to study her. "Really, I'm fine." She promised him. He sighed and nodded.

"We'll talk about that later on." He whispered.

"Okay…Troy I'm sorry." She managed to squeak out. "I'm so, so sorry. What I did was childish and stupid and-and…" she faltered and ground her teeth together in sudden anger at herself. She avoided Troy's gaze but he put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. She saw that same expression that she had the night he left in the park. Gabriella's face crumpled and she battled against tears again.

"Brie, I'm not mad at you. I completely understand why you didn't come, I'm just upset is all. We can get through this, but I need to know what's on your mind." He told her. Gabriella nodded.

"I'll tell you from now on I promise." She whispered. "But I'm still sorry from what I did." He nodded in reply and then pulled her close to him again. He kissed her cheek and stroked her hair.

"I'm so glad you came Gabi." He admitted.

"I'm glad I came too." She replied. He smiled down at her and then kissed her gently and softly. He tightened his grip on her and stroked her hair again as the kiss deepened. She slipped her arms around him and then jumped as someone tapped her on the shoulder. She pulled away from Troy and turned halfway around to see Ernie smirk at her and give her a little wave. Gabriella gasped and then all of a sudden Troy was in front of her, shielding her with his body.

"YOU'RE THE LITTLE CREEP WHO'S BEEN HURTING GABRIELLA!" he roared. Gabriella peeped around Troy's back to see Ernie staring at him in defiance.

"And you are…?" he asked.

"NONE OF YOUR FREAKING BUISSNESS. WHY THE _HELL_ ARE YOU BOTHERING HER? SHE DID ABSOLUTLY NOTHING TO YOU AND YOU'RE TREATING HER LIKE GARBAGE!" Troy raged on. Gabriella came out to stand beside Troy and Troy pulled her tightly to his side as Ernie stared at her.

"Whatever. Gabriella, sweetie, come with me and it will be easier for you." He crooned in a sing-song voice. Gabriella shook her head and shied away from him. She knew she was acting like a coward but she didn't care. Apparently neither did Troy because he tightened his grip around her and planted a quick kiss in her hair. Ernie took a couple of steps towards her and she whimpered quietly so only Troy could hear.

"DON'T YOU FRIGING TOUCH HER." He spat. Ernie raised an eyebrow at him and then returned his greedy gaze onto Gabriella. Troy opened his mouth to let more of his anger out on Ernie but just then four security men ran up and grabbed Ernie. Troy and Gabriella stepped back as they fought and then Gabriella sighed in relief as they dragged him off to a waiting police car.

Troy turned to her again and held her in his arms, happy to be able to hug her without being worried that something was wrong. He knew that even though she was still scared She knew Ernie wouldn't hurt her again and that thought comforted Troy as much as it did Gabriella. She looked up at him with love in her eyes and he touched his lips to hers once more. As they stood there together he knew that it felt right just now…holding like this. Troy knew that she would stay by his side wherever he went. She had proved that by coming here. Troy pulled away from the kiss and looked into her deep brown eyes and seeing nothing but compassion and trust in them he smiled for the millionth time at her.

"There's no way I'm letting you leave now. You know that right?" he asked her. Gabriella nodded and smiled.

"Good."

**AN: Sob So there you have it! My second fanfic done! I want to apologize for putting swearing in it and I hope you guys weren't totally scarred for life. I apologize to anyone who I offended or anything of that sort! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it! THANKS SO MUCH!!**


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